Chapter Fifteen:
Lucy's heart felt light. It had been a long time since she truly felt happy. She was anxious to return home so that she could update her journal to her mother. She wanted to let Layla Heartfilia know that her daughter was in love with Gray Fullbuster!
"What's the first thing you want to do when we get home?" Gray asked.
They were only two train stops away from Magnolia Town. Natsu and Lisanna sat across from them, the former sprawled across Lisanna's lap unconscious. It had been the only way to solve the Salamander's motion sickness. Happy sat curled up in a ball sleeping next to Lucy. Erza and Jellal had decided to stay in Joya City for a few extra days.
"Take a nice, hot bubble bath," Lucy said with a sigh.
Gray frowned slightly. He wasn't a big fan of hot water. Usually, he'd turn it to ice without much thought.
"While my boyfriend reads the rough draft of my novel in the next room," Lucy added.
Gray turned to her and took her hands, his dark blue eyes wide in excitement. "Are you sure? You're going to let me read your novel? But, I thought you promised Levy she'd be the first to read it?"
Lucy felt a giggle bubble up in her chest and she fought it down in an attempt to be mature. Yes, she had promised Levy that she'd be the first to read her novel, but Levy had already seen her rough draft. Gray was her lover. He knew her body intimately. It only seemed right that he know the workings of her mind. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but she's already read the rough draft. I wanted to perfect it before sharing it with anyone else."
Gray pulled her closer to him, using his grip on her hands until he could brush his lips against hers. "I'm sure I'll love it, even with a few imperfections."
The train pulled to a stop and it was time for them to disembark. It felt strange to travel so light, everyone had only one or two bags. When Erza traveled with them they felt overwhelmed by the amount of luggage for their team, but no one dared to complain.
Gray tossed the unconscious Natsu over his shoulder as the Fairy Tail mages made their way to the guild house. "We'll report to Master Makarov of our success and then I'll make sure you have that much deserved bubble bath," Gray promised nudging Lucy gently as he walked alongside her.
When they reached the guild house it was in the middle of a full-blown celebration. Gray dumped Natsu on the floor and the Salamander promptly woke up with his fists up and ready. Natsu's fists fell to his side and his jaw slackened.
"What's going on?" Natsu demanded.
The loud music ceased and the merriment paused as everyone acknowledged the return of a portion of Team Natsu. There was a large banner across the stage announcing the new Guild Master!
"We're gone for a couple of weeks and you get a new guild master?" Natsu cried! He didn't handle change very well.
"Natsu, it's okay," Lisanna soothed rubbing his arm.
Happy hovered near Lucy's shoulder. "I can't read the banner. Who is the new guild master?" he asked quietly.
"Laxus," Lucy said, a mild note of surprise in her voice.
"Laxus!" Happy shouted soaring into the air. "That means there will be fish! Laxus likes fish!" He spotted the other two Exceeds enjoying the spoils of celebration and hurried to join them.
Wendy ran to their side and hugged Lucy's waist. She then reached up and touched Natsu's jaw and sent a healing wave of magic into him. "That should take care of the residual nausea," she said. "I just treated Gajeel a few minutes ago. He and Levy just returned."
Lucy looked to Gray and grinned. He knew that she would be eager to let her best girlfriend know of her their new relationship status.
"Go ahead, show me off," Gray said with an exacerbated sigh. Secretly, he loved that Lucy was fawning over him. She hooked her arm through his and led him towards the table where Levy and Gajeel were eating. They sat across from the two other mages.
Levy looked between them and then settled her eyes on Lucy. "You're a couple," she stated.
Lucy opened her mouth, but then quickly shut it as she looked at Levy and Gajeel more closely. The chemistry between them had changed almost as drastically as the chemistry between her and Gray. "You're a couple," Lucy echoed.
Lucy and Levy simultaneously reached across the table and grasped each other's hands and squealed. Gray and Gajeel exchanged confused looks.
"How was your job?" Gray asked, referring to the mission that Gajeel and Levy took together.
Gajeel smirked, the metallic jewelry in his face glittered ominously. "Profitable." He reached into the inner folds of his shirt and pulled out a small notebook. "I wrote several songs while we were there!"
"How did your job go?" Levy asked. "I heard it was a very complicated request. I noticed that Erza and Mystogan aren't back yet."
"They were a little bit delayed on a personal matter," Lucy said quickly glancing towards Gray.
"We stopped a rampaging goddess from stealing the youth of people. We also faced off some mercenaries from a dark guild that I'm afraid we'll be seeing again," Gray explained. He stretched his arm casually around Lucy's shoulder and drew her close to his side. "And we made enough profit to pay off rent for a couple of years."
Levy's jaw dropped open. "That much money?"
"Mystogan is a very good gambler," Lucy explained. "He managed to help us increase our earnings substantially."
"I have got to get to know that guy better," Gajeel said.
"So what do you think about Laxus as the new guild master?" Gray asked.
"He's certainly undergone a complete transformation personality-wise," Levy said. She glanced at Gajeel. "It's nice to see people making the most of second chances."
OoO
"So, Lucy, I've been thinking," Gray said as she shut the door to her apartment.
Lucy had made a bee-hive for her bathroom and started the water into her garden tub. Her landlord had been ecstatic when Lucy paid the rent up front for the next year. "Hm?" Lucy called from the bathroom. The scent of lilacs and lavender began too waft into the rest of the apartment. She stood in the doorway of the bathroom. "What have you been thinking, Gray?"
"I know you just paid off your rent for the next year, but I know a way to make it even more affordable," Gray said.
"I'm listening," Lucy said in amusement. She had a feeling that she knew where this conversation was heading, but she wanted to hear it.
"You'll have free AC in the summer, additional heat in the winter, an editor ready at your disposal, an easy lunch date whenever you want him, and a friend whenever you're in need," Gray said listing off the various perks with his fingers.
Lucy had started to walk closer to Gray as he stood in the middle of the apartment making his list. She lay her hand gently upon his chest, he'd managed to take off his shirt in the middle of his list. She traced her fingers from his Fairy Tail tattoo down to the scar on his lower abdomen. "How about a lover at my beck and call? You didn't list that one."
Gray swallowed nervously. "Sure, that too," he said with a nod.
"Gray, are you asking if you can move in with me?" Lucy asked. She began to toy with the waistband of his shorts.
"Lucy," Gray said, taking hold of her hands and placing them on his shoulders. "I love you. I want to spend every waking and sleeping moment with you possible."
"You'll help with the laundry and the cooking?" Lucy asked. "Because, I'm no maid."
"Don't you have Virgo for that?" Gray pointed out.
"That's an abuse of our relationship," Lucy argued. Though, Virgo enjoyed acting as a maid. The apartment would be spotless if she called forth the Maiden, but there might also be twenty holes scattered throughout the floor.
"I'll be an ideal roommate, I promise," Gray said looping his arms around Lucy's waist and kissing the crown of her head. He glanced past her. "Your bath is started to get rather full," he warned.
Lucy squirmed out of Gray's grasp and hurried to shut the water off. When she turned back, Gray stood in the archway of the bathroom. He didn't have a stitch of clothing covering his lithe muscular body.
"I thought we should start with the conservation of water," Gray said with a confident smile. "And if you want to take a little trip back to Joya City, I hear they have a 15% discount on Thursdays."
A/N: Thanks so much for your support! Writing this story has been quite a challenge. I'd been discouraged and encouraged at times. I even had some of my cosplay friends track down my penname to review anonymously so I'd stop complaining about lack of feedback. And I also received a few hostile PMs about my terrible writing, but eh, got to take the insults with a grain of salt. I definitely appreciated those of you that left kind words! I do intend to write at least one more FT story. It will be a cross-over story with Naruto. I do really enjoy the series and I'm glad to have met so many of you that also enjoy the series! Have a blessed day!